City Stories Index · United Kingdom · 2026 edition
Edinburgh vs Glasgow
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Edinburgh leads 4–2. Character is a different question: Edinburgh is the old town and the new; Glasgow is the city of mackintosh and saints.
Change the matchup
| What we measure | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 55 | 52 | Edinburgh |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 254 | 410 | Edinburgh |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 12 | Edinburgh |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 20 | 24 | Glasgow |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 16 | 23 | Glasgow |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 4 | 2 | Edinburgh |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Edinburgh in orange, Glasgow in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
EdinburghGlasgow
21 places
crime & dark history7 places
16 places
arts & culture13 places
13 places
royalty & nobility11 places
13 places
legends & myths13 places
9 places
faith & churches11 places
8 places
guilds & trade6 places
4 places
parks & leisure7 places
6 places
industry & modern era5 places
Edinburgh scorecard →
The old town and the new
Glasgow scorecard →
The city of Mackintosh and saints